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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · chest · file · track · bound · stand · key · object

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. object — to protest
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. file — a line of people
  10. track — a song
  11. ball — a dance
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — a thing
  18. bound — tied together
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bound — certain
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. object — an aim
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com